——500 taels…
Ogata couldn't help but take another look at the wanted poster in his hand.
For some reason, at a certain moment just now, Ogata had the urge to surrender to the authorities!
When this impulse came into being, a big plan was born in my mind:
First he turned himself in to the government, sold himself, and then let Ah-ting take the 500 taels of gold, and then he would think of a way to escape from prison.
Ogata felt that his plan seemed to be quite promising.
When I am really short of money in the future, maybe I can come up with this plan to fleece the government.
He had participated in the "Imperial Examination" in Edo before, and after working very hard and with some good luck, he finally earned 100 taels of gold.
As long as Ogata and his wife don't use the money for anything else, 100 taels of gold will be enough for them to not have to worry about money for at least the next 10 years.
500 taels of gold - if they didn't use it to buy antiques or other miscellaneous things, this amount of money would be enough for Ogata and Atachi to use until the end of their lives.
At this moment, Jincheng on the side waved to Ogata, indicating that he wanted to see the stack of wanted posters.
Ogata was only interested in his own wanted poster, and had no interest in the rest.
Now that he had finished reading his own wanted poster, Ogata was no longer interested in holding the stack of wanted posters. Seeing that Jincheng wanted them, he simply stuffed them all into his hands.
Jin Cheng took the wanted posters from Ogata, flipped through them casually, and said:
"I didn't expect you to be a ronin who makes a living on bounties. These bounty hunters must be hard to catch, right?"
"Of course." Hizaka shrugged. "After months of hard work, it's common to find out that the wanted criminal is dead, or that you're chasing the wrong person."
"So my apprentice and I don't make a living by catching bounty-bearing criminals."
"If we come across a job that can earn money and provide food, we will do it."
“Like this job now.”
Hizaka grinned.
"Although there is no money to be made, there is white rice to eat, which can save several days of food money. It is also very suitable for us, the master and the disciple. Apart from swinging swords, we are not good at anything else."
Jincheng had already roughly flipped through the stack of wanted warrants in his hand.
When handing the wanted warrants to Huo Saka, Jin Cheng said softly:
"Thank you for your invitation. But I am used to being alone and don't really like to hang out with others."
"Is that so?" Seeing that her invitation to Jincheng to join her as a bounty hunter was rejected, Huosaka did not show any annoyance, but just smiled and said, "Forget it then."
After returning the wanted posters to Huosaka, Jincheng smiled and continued:
"I just looked at these wanted posters. Ogata Ittosai is really powerful."
"Among these wanted posters, only Ogata Ittosai's bounty is over a hundred, and it's a full five hundred."
"As expected, he is the most wanted criminal in the shogunate right now."
"If anyone can catch Ogata Ittosai, not only will your name go down in history, but you will also definitely have enough food and clothing for the rest of your life - as long as you don't spend money recklessly."
"Hehe."
As soon as Jincheng finished speaking, Huosaka suddenly sneered a few times.
After sneering, Hizaka suddenly changed the subject with a mocking smile:
"Although 500 taels of gold is a sum of money that can provide us with food and clothing for a lifetime for ordinary people like us."
"But for those powerful people, 500 taels of gold might just be their entertainment money for a few days."
"I used to be a low-ranking samurai in the Mito Domain in Kanto."
"I have personally witnessed how extravagant the nobles of Mito Domain live their daily lives."
"Because Mito Domain was close to Edo, many dignitaries from Mito Domain would take a horse-drawn carriage to Yoshiwara in Edo to have fun."
"In a place like Yoshiwara where money is wasted, it's common to spend dozens or even hundreds of taels of gold a night."
"After having fun in Yoshiwara, we'll take a carriage back to Mito."
"Mito Domain?" Jin Cheng at the side raised his eyebrows, "You are from a powerful domain."
Mito Domain - together with Owari Domain and Kishu Domain, they were known as the "Gosanke" and were the domains with the closest relationship to the shogunate. All of them were powerful domains with terrifyingly high stone populations.
Mito Domain had the lowest number of koku among the three great domains, but still had 350,000 koku, making it an undoubtedly powerful domain.
"That's right. I'm a samurai from the Mito Domain, but only a lower-ranking samurai."
Hizaka shrugged.
"Before I left the domain, I was a warehouse officer in Mito Domain. Every day, I was responsible for using an abacus, counting and managing the inventory in the warehouse. My salary was only a pitiful 50 koku."
Hearing what Hizaka said, Ogata couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Warehouse officer - Ogata is familiar with this job.
“I took over the job of warehouse officer when I was 20 years old.”
“When I first took over the job of warehouse officer, I worked very hard.”
"Every day I work very hard using an abacus and keeping account books."
"But gradually, I realized something was wrong."
The mocking look in Huosaka's smile became even more intense.
I just don't know who he is showing this mocking look on his face to.
"I work so hard every day, but I don't get any substantial compensation."
"Because I was born a low-ranking samurai."
"You are all samurai, you should all know what it means to be born a lower-level samurai, right?"
Everyone, including Ogata, nodded silently.
Ogata himself was born as a lower-ranking samurai of the Hirose domain, so he naturally knew what a lower-ranking samurai represented.
It means that unless your ancestors’ graves are filled with good fortune, you will never be able to climb to a high position.
During the Edo period, when the hereditary nobility system was practiced, there was a saying to describe the officialdom of the shogunate and the various feudal domains: "senior samurai monopolize high-ranking official positions, while lower-ranking samurai monopolize low-ranking official positions."
Unless he has accomplished some extraordinary feat, a lower-ranking warrior will never be able to achieve any high position even if he works hard all his life.
"Those warriors who have good enough family backgrounds can become high-ranking officials if they just stretch out their hands."
"As a low-ranking samurai of humble origin, no matter how hard I try, I will probably never be able to rise to higher positions. I can only live a life of poverty."
“I feel very unhappy.”
"So I gradually stopped working so hard for the government. No matter how hard I worked, the result would be the same: I could only get such a meager salary, and I couldn't see any hope of promotion or a better life."
"But I still complete my own work on time and in full every day."
“My boss came after I started to be less enthusiastic about my work.”
"Guess what he told me?"
Hizaka shook her shoulders and sneered again.
"He complains that I haven't been working as hard as I used to."
"I told him: I have done my work well every day."
"Then he said: I know you do complete your work well every day, but are you satisfied with just that?"
"As a samurai, you should serve your lord wholeheartedly."
“When faced with a job where the full score is 10, you should strive to achieve 12 or 15 points.”
"Only in this way can we live up to the ethics of the samurai."
"I was scolded and lectured for no apparent reason even though I was doing my job well every day."
"I got angrier and angrier when I got home."
"Serve the lord? When has the lord of Mito Domain ever been kind to me? Why should I risk my life to serve someone I've never met?"
"Besides, the one who doesn't talk about samurai ethics first should be the lord, right? My family has served the Mito Domain for generations since the establishment of the shogunate."
"I have served the country for two hundred years, but because of my humble origins, my salary has never increased, and I have only been able to do humble work. Is there such a thing as samurai ethics?"
"The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I went to talk to my boss the next day."
"Then I was scolded by my boss again."
"He said: As a warrior, how can you always think about such mundane things as food, clothing, housing and transportation?"
"As a samurai, you should be indifferent to fame and fortune, be dedicated to your duties, and always put your lord first... In short, you just kept telling me about the samurai code of conduct."
"He also recited to me a sentence from the Hagakure Monk's Book: 'Every morning when you worship from afar, you should first worship your lord and parents, and then the gods and Buddhas. Putting your lord first will not only make your parents happy, but the gods and Buddhas will also understand your intention. As a samurai, you don't have to consider anything else except your lord. The stronger this aspiration is, the more you will pay attention to the situation around your lord and never forget it.'"
While reciting this famous quote from "Hagakure no Sho", Hizaka shook her head, looking very funny.
"Hagakure Monsho" - a book dictated by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, a retainer of Saga Domain lord Mitsushige Nabeshima, in 1716 AD, and written down by samurai Tashiro Jinki over a period of seven years.
Its writing style is typical "Analects style".
It is a book about the cultivation of samurai, which warns samurai what they should and should not do in daily life and what kind of samurai is a "true samurai".
Since its publication, it has been hailed as a classic by many people. In this book, one can learn the true Bushido, and it is considered a must-read book for all samurai.
The sentence that Hizaka just recited is a famous quote from "Hagakure no Sho".
"I was already very angry. After hearing my boss lecture me on the code of samurai and reciting the 'Hagakure no Sho' to me while shaking his head, I became even angrier."
"I'm just thinking about the daily necessities of life, what's wrong with that?"
"Instead of telling me about things that I can see and touch, you just tell me nonsense."
"I understand now."
"That whole samurai code thing is bullshit."
"It just makes it easier for people like us who come from humble backgrounds to work for people like us who have high positions and high salaries and no worries about food and clothing since birth."
"Anyway, I just want to feed myself so that the whole family won't be hungry."
"So I was so angry that I fled from Mito Domain overnight and became a ronin."
"Although I no longer have a stable source of income, my life is happier than before."
"All my income now belongs to me. No one points fingers at me anymore and tells me that I can't think about daily necessities and must devote myself to the public."
Ogata and the others had been listening quietly to Hirasaka telling about his past.
Ogata was a time traveler, not a native samurai of the Edo period, so he not only had no affinity with the idea of ​​Bushido, but also sneered at it.
Therefore, when I heard Hosaka bluntly say that "Bushido is all bullshit", I did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, I felt that Hosaka was right and pointed out the cruel nature of Bushido - a tool used by rulers to control samurai and rule the country.
Atachi did not show any discomfort either - she was not a child of a samurai family and naturally had no feelings about the so-called Bushido.
Tsuchiya also showed no signs of discomfort.
After hearing what Hizaka said just now, Tsuchiya had no expression on his face - maybe it was because he didn't talk much and didn't have many expressions.
Only Jincheng showed obvious displeasure.
As soon as Huo Ban finished speaking, Jin Cheng's expression changed immediately:
"I won't ask or interfere with the conflicts between you and your superiors and lord."
"But you are a samurai after all. Saying something like 'samurai ethics are bullshit' is not appropriate, right?"
"And I think what your boss said makes sense."
"As a samurai, if you always worry about the mundane things like food, clothing, housing and transportation, you are no different from a commoner."
"I just expressed my reflections on the samurai code." Hizaka shrugged, "Kinjo, although you are an escort, you are also from a hatamoto family with an annual salary of 3,500 koku."
"You probably can't understand the hopeless life of a lower-ranking samurai, right?"
The displeasure on Jincheng's face became even more intense.
"...Whatever." Jin Cheng withdrew his gaze from Huo Ban, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I am too lazy to argue with you anymore."
The conversation between Hizaka and Jincheng just now made the atmosphere on the scene suddenly become a little less harmonious.
At this moment, an unexpected voice sounded:
"Let's talk about something a little more interesting while we eat."
The one who speaks is the taciturn Tuwu.
In Ogata's impression, this seemed to be the first time Tsuchiya spoke since the meal started.
Because Tsuchiya's mouth was full of rice when he spoke, his words were a little unclear.
As soon as Tsuchiya finished speaking, Hizaka stretched her back vigorously:
"You're right. We should talk about light and interesting things while eating. What I just said about my past was a bit too dull. I'm sorry."
"Let's talk about something interesting!"
"Tsuchiya, judging from your accent, you are from Mutsu, right?" Hizaka turned her gaze to Tsuchiya.
"Yes." Tsuchiya nodded, "I am from the Hachinohe Domain in Mutsu."
"Since you are from Mutsu, it will be easy." Hizaka showed his signature grin, "Do you know 'Fujosai'?"
Tsuchiya raised his eyebrows: "I've heard a little bit about it."
"It's good that you know about Bujingzhai. Have you heard about Bujingzhai 's movements? For example, has anyone witnessed Bujingzhai somewhere?"
Tsuchiya shook his head and said, "I have only heard a little about Bujingzhai. I am not very interested in Bujingzhai. I have never taken the initiative to ask people around me about Bujingzhai's whereabouts, and I have never heard of anything related to Bujingzhai."
"Is that so..." A hint of frustration appeared on Hizaka's face.
Ogata, who had been listening quietly, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when Higasaka said the word "Fujosai", which sounded a bit like a title.
After Hizaka and Tsuchiya finished their conversation, Ogata interrupted and asked:
“Is Bujjajiva a title for someone?”
"That's right!" Hizaka nodded with a smile, "Fujosai is the title of a very powerful samurai. Just like Ogata Ittosai's 'Ittosai'."
"Bujingzhai? A very powerful warrior?" Jincheng said indifferently, "How come I have never heard of this person?"
"It's normal that you haven't heard of him." Hizaka said slowly, "Fujosai is only famous in Mutsu. Outside of Mutsu, basically no one knows this person."
"I only learned about this person after I wandered to Mutsu with Mizuno four months ago."
"I heard that Fujosai is an extremely powerful warrior."
"He is good at using a Japanese sword."
"And the sword technique he used is the Japanese sword technique of Tangtu."
"Japanese swordsmanship?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, interest flashing in his eyes.
Ogata had heard of the fame of Japanese swordsmanship in his previous life.
Many people mistakenly believe that the Japanese sword is the samurai sword, which is actually not true.
The Japanese sword combines the curved blade of the samurai sword with the hilt of the Chinese sword, making it possible to use both Chinese and Japanese sword techniques.
It is said that the founder of Japanese swordsmanship was Qi Jiguang, a famous general who fought against Japanese invaders in the Ming Dynasty.
"Yes, it is the Japanese sword technique that is said to have been lost in Tang Dynasty."
"I don't know where Bujingsai learned the Japanese sword technique, and then he practiced it to perfection."
"Anyone who is his enemy will be killed by his Japanese sword without leaving a single piece of armor."
"Because if you become his enemy and fight him, the surrounding land will be stained with the blood of the enemy, so he called himself 'Impurity'."
"I have never seen what Japanese swordsmanship looks like, so after learning about this person, I have been looking for him, wanting to see Japanese swordsmanship with my own eyes."
"It's a pity that after searching for so long, I didn't even see the shadow of Bujingzhai."
"Because Fujosai is only famous in Mutsu, basically only people in Mutsu know of his existence."
“Not only can we not find the unclean vegetarian restaurant, we can’t even find out what the unclean vegetarian restaurant looks like…”
"It's normal that you can't find Bujingzhai and can't find out what Bujingzhai looks like." Tsuchiya said suddenly, "After all, there has been no news related to Bujingzhai for more than 40 years."
"More than forty years?" Ogata exclaimed in surprise, "Then this Fujingsai is quite old."
"Yes." Tsuchiya nodded, "If Fujosai is still alive, he would be almost 70 years old this year."
"As far as I know, Fujosai disappeared not long after he became famous in Mutsu more than 40 years ago."
"No one has ever seen him since."
"Nothing related to him has been reported."
"It's like the whole person just disappeared."
“So I think it’s possible that Bujingzhai died in some unknown place more than 40 years ago.”
"Even if he's not dead, he would be 60 or 70 years old this year, and he would be dying soon."
Hearing what Tsuchiya said, Hizaka laughed and shrugged disapprovingly:
"What you just said is just your guess! Maybe Fujingsai is still practicing Japanese swordsmanship leisurely somewhere!"
"Anyway, I have plenty of time. I will keep looking until I am sure that Bujingzhai is dead."
"It would be a shame if we didn't get to see the sword technique of Japanese swordsmanship, which originated in Tang Dynasty but has been lost in Tang Dynasty."
…
…
at the same time--
In a house in the center of the village.
At this moment, there are quite a few people in this house.
At this time, people of higher status and prestige in the village gathered in this house.
The owner of this house is none other than the village chief—an old man whose hair has become sparse and gray.
The old village chief sat in the center of the living room.
The rest of the people sat around the old village chief.
"... In other words, we have recruited five warriors in total now..." The old village chief said in a hoarse voice, "Five... the number is still a little too few..."
"We have tried our best to find samurai who are willing to help us." The person who spoke was Juzo, "But... no samurai is willing to help us... Either they think it is too dangerous, or the reward is too low..."
"It took a lot of effort for Yushiro and I to finally invite two samurai..."
"...Village Chief." At this moment, a tall middle-aged man who was sitting cross-legged in front of the old village chief gritted his teeth and said, "I still think we shouldn't ask those warriors..."
"We have no way of telling whether the warriors we invited are good or bad, or whether they are reliable..."
"Look, didn't something happen today?"
"Qingliuchi's daughter was almost violated by a samurai."
Hearing what the "tall middle-aged man" said, everyone present lowered their heads involuntarily.
Prior to this, after learning that bandits were eyeing their village, they actually had a very heated discussion on whether or not to ask the samurai for help.
Some people think that they must ask samurai for help, and that asking samurai for help is more reliable than asking the government for help.
But there are also quite a few people who think that it is not right to invite warriors over, and that inviting warriors over is no different from inviting a wolf into the house.
The reason for this is that the samurai had a bad reputation.
Although the villagers in this village have had little contact with samurai, they have heard many bad rumors about samurai.
For example: Some warriors used innocent civilians to test their new swords.
Another example: some samurai were killed by other samurai for being "disrespectful" just because their swords were touched by others or other trivial matters. Then the samurai were not punished because of the privilege of "Zansha Gomen".
In short - many villagers felt that it would be bad if they invited back a group of warriors with bad conduct.
The two factions quarreled fiercely, and finally it was the respected old village chief who made the decision to ask the warriors for help.
In fact, many people who supported the samurai to come and help were also very afraid that the samurai who were invited would commit some atrocities.
It's just that the fear of bandits overwhelms the fear of samurai.
When Sukezo and his companions went to the nearby towns to invite samurai, the villagers who stayed at home hid their money and food before the samurai arrived.
When Hizaka and Mizuno arrived at the village first, families with young girls warned the girls in their homes - never go out.
What a pity - something almost happened today.
The scumbag had just arrived in the village this morning, and in the evening he took advantage of Qingliu and his wife not being at home, sneaked into their home, and intended to violate their daughter.
If it weren't for another warrior's timely help, I couldn't imagine the consequences.
The fear that these invited back warriors would cause trouble came true - this made all the villagers feel worried, annoyed and frightened.
They were afraid that the remaining warriors might also have ulterior motives.
"The samurai named Hosaka who saved Qingliu's daughter was quite upright..." Juzo said softly.
"What about the other samurai?" The "tall middle-aged man" who had just questioned the village chief about the correctness of inviting the samurai back asked without hesitation, "Are the other samurai trustworthy? Are they all honest people?"
Zhu San lowered his head and fell silent.
"...Okay." The old village chief sighed, "Everyone has been invited back. There is no point in arguing here about whether to invite the warriors over."
"We can only take a gamble..."
"I hope the remaining five warriors are all kind-hearted people..."
"But we still have to take the necessary precautions."
"Everyone remember to hide your money and food."
"Those who have young girls at home should keep a close eye on them and not leave them alone at home."